Job vacancies rise in Canada in second-quarter with gains broad-based

Reuters Staff

2 Min Read

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The number of job vacancies in Canada rose in the second quarter compared to the year before, with more openings seen broadly across regions and sectors, data from Statistics Canada showed on Thursday.

Workers quality check welded auto parts with laser and computer analysis at Alfield Industries, a subsidiary of Martinrea, one of three global auto parts makers in Canada, in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada April 28, 2017. REUTERS/Fred Thornhill

There were 460,000 jobs open in the second quarter, up 17.2 percent from the second quarter of last year. The job vacancy rate, which measures the share of unfilled jobs out of those available, rose to 2.9 percent from 2.5 percent.

A higher job vacancy rate often points to economic growth. Canada has seen robust job gains over the past year amid a strong economy that has prompted the Bank of Canada to raise interest rates twice in 2017 so far.

Job vacancies in the second quarter rose in nearly all the provinces, led by Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, which have seen strong economic growth.

The number of job openings also rose in Alberta, which is recovering from the collapse in oil prices. The mining, quarrying and oil and gas sector saw some of the biggest increases in job vacancies, which is consistent with recent employment gains in the sector, the statistics agency said.

Nationally, higher job vacancies were seen in a number of sectors, including accommodation and food services, manufacturing, and transportation.